Life is good for the 4-2 Falcons right now, but it certainly isn’t getting any easier with consecutive road trips after the bye week. They begin that sequence with a trip to Philadelphia to face the 3-3 Eagles this Sunday. Don’t let Philly’s record fool you; the Eagles feel they are very close to being a contender in the NFC East. And after a quick look at their personnel, which includes some nice playmakers on both sides of the ball, it isn’t hard to see why. Here are a few keys for Atlanta to overcome the odds once again and win its third straight.
1. BEND, DON’T BREAK
In the past, the Eagles have lacked playmakers outside of McNabb and running back Brian Westbrook. That’s different this year thanks to rookie wideout DeSean Jackson, who has emerged as a threat to score whenever he touches the ball.
But there is one area where the Eagles can be stopped, an area the Falcons are all too familiar with. Philly struggles to score in the red zone. Westbrook is always a threat to score, but Jackson isn’t particularly effective inside the 20. The rest of the receiving corps is a fairly pedestrian bunch, and McNabb isn’t the threat he once was running the football.
For an Atlanta defense that has struggled to stop opposing quarterbacks not named Tyler Thigpen, shutting down McNabb and company is probably too much to ask. But keeping them out of the end zone will allow the Birds to hang around, which will put tons of extra pressure on the Eagles in front of their home crowd.
2. BIG PLAYS
The Falcons defense needs to stop Philly from making these, but the offense also needs to come through with a few successful long-distance strikes.
Keeping Philly off the board in the red zone is one thing, but the Falcons defense must remember that the Eagles can score from anywere. Westbrook can take it the distance from anywhere, and he can do it out of the backfield or in the slot as a wide receiver. Meanwhile, Jackson is a threat in the passing game where he is averaging 15 yards per catch, and on special teams as a punt returner (anyone remember his incredible 68-yard touchdown return against the Redskins?). The Falcons kick coverage was brilliant against Devin Hester two weeks ago, and they’ll have to continue that in order to keep Jackson at bay.
As for the offense, they need to break a big one. Getting momentum on the road and quieting a loud crowd would be huge for the team’s confidence. There is no better way to do that than connecting on a long play for a score. If big-play guys like Roddy White or Jerious Norwood (another long kick return perhaps?) can get involved, that is a definite possibility.
3. UNSUNG HEROES
The Eagles have had two weeks to watch tape and prepare for a team that isn’t as individually talented as they are. They saw what Tampa Bay and Carolina did to Atlanta on the road by stopping Turner and taking away Ryan’s favorite target in Roddy White, and they will no doubt try and recreate that success.
Turner and White are good enough to make the Eagles pay anyway. But Philadelphia’s intense focus on those two provides a great opportunity for guys like Michael Jenkins, Harry Douglas and Jerious Norwood to come up with big plays.
If an unlikely offensive name emerges on Sunday afternoon, don’t be surprised. It will be good news for Mike Mularkey’s offense if that does indeed happen.
FINAL THOUGHTS
The Falcons have established themselves as a legitimate threat in the NFC. Now comes the hard part: keeping it that way. They won’t be sneaking up on anyone like they did against the Bears and Packers. Defenses will be ready for them after watching Matt Ryan sling the ball around the field in an extremely efficient offense. Offensive lines will be preparing to throw every blocking scheme in the book at John Abraham, and they surely will have taken notice of the secondary’s struggles.
With all of that in mind, it seems likely that the Falcons will find themselves battling serious adversity at some point in the near future. And how they react to it may dictate whether they are fighting for a .500 record or a playoff spot this season.
Bagriansky can be reached at jbagriansky@scoreatl.com.
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